Unseen
by axxe
Summary: There are things we see and things we don't see. This is a collecion of the hidden scenes and POVs in ANGEL: A Maximum Ride Novel.
1. Mixed Emotions

**A/N:**

**This was originally going to be a series of maybe 200 word scenes, in one chapter. However, as the first one grew longer, I decided that I would try to commit myself to making a multi chaptered story.**

**Updates will be irregular, and I will upload another chapter whenever I feel like it, whether that is one day or week or month later.**

**It is exactly as the summary says: Unseen scenes and POVs of **_**ANGEL: A Maximum Ride Novel**_**. **

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride.<strong>

**Unseen  
><strong>**A Maximum Ride Fanfiction  
><strong>**Chapter One: Mixed Emotions**

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><p>Dylan watched Max sitting in the pine tree of Ella and Dr. Martinez's backyard. It was rather tall, and she was sitting on a thin branch up quite high. Not that it was dangerous – when you were an Avian-American heights seemed to lose their hazardousness.<p>

They'd been staying with Max's biological mother and half-sister for about a week now, the flock and him. It had been interesting to see how they reacted to the calmness, almost as if they had never gone a few days without an attack or having some sort of wild deviation from the normal. It was probably an accurate statement actually, since all of them had had long, eventful lives.

_Sigh._ Dylan felt alone in the place where he was kind of accepted. He was a newbie – he'd barely been with the flock for a few months, and yet they had been together all their lives. Though they were young, they all had much more life experience than him. Angel, the youngest, was even older than him! He felt unauthentic. He was a clone – a copy, never to be his own. And though he had the body and mind of a fifteen year old, he was only just one year from the chamber where they grew him.

He felt lost. He felt like he was judged by _what_ he was by everyone, including the flock, instead of _who_ he was. His advanced sight, strength, his almost unnatural turquoise eyes meant nothing to him. All he wanted was to be real.

A rustle came from above Dylan, and he looked up just in time to see Max start to fall off the branch. Before she could fall, however, her tanned hand snaked out and grasped it. He was pretty sure that she hadn't even noticed he was there.

Repressing another sigh, Dylan moved slowly toward the tree trunk. Max was a whole world of mixed feelings for him. While the flock had the time of their life, Max slipped away to secluded places so that she could cry without anybody noticing. They did, of course. Her sorrow was so intense that you only had to be in the same room as her to feel it.

And it was all over Fang. He kept himself from thinking violent things about the flock leader's ex-boyfriend. His being around had been a road for disaster – it was making Max thoughtless, incapable of guiding the flock properly. Yet the way he had handled the situation had been atrocious. Leaving with all but a note? That was mindless. It had hurt everyone. And it was almost worse with him gone.

Dylan strongly disliked Fang, because he had broken Max's heart. He was the one who had brought out her smiles and laughs, but he had stolen it all. Nothing was left. Sometimes though, Dylan saw that it was necessary and it was the only way that she would have let Fang go.

Because of him, Max wouldn't let anybody close. Dylan was genetically engineered to be Max's perfect other half – yet she pretty much hated him.

This brought about a deep simmering anger. Dr. Gunther-Hagen had told him, had _promised _him that he and Max would be together, the unstoppable pair. All he had heard ever since he had woken was _Max Max Max._ And when he had finally met her, she had pushed him away.

Dylan would never tell anybody, but sometimes just the things Max did, what she said, wounded him. She was like a rose – beautiful, soft, passionate, but to try and get close was to be stabbed by her thorns. He tried to change for her – he really tried – becoming more outspoken, becoming rougher to match her harsh personality, but it wasn't him.

Now he as at the top of the tree, crouching on a branch behind Max. She still hadn't noticed. Looking at her, his anger melted. At this point, he didn't care about earning her affections, or being in a romantic relationship with her. He just wanted to make her happy. Or, at least, to push her out of the haze of depression that ran strong and deep in her eyes.

Again, he felt mixed emotions. He was supposed to be in a relationship with her, made to be perfect for one such, and there was no doubt that he did love her.

But did he love her that way?

Leaning next to her ear, Dylan only said one word.

"Boo!"

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><p><strong>In this chapter I'm trying to convey a message about the character of Dylan. Fanfictioners portray him by <strong>_**what**_** he is in their eyes – a boy who is interfering with Fax (which seems to automatically equate to a nasty person). That's not really true, he is really more of an alternate to Fax, and Fang would have left with or without him there as long as somebody provided him with the same insight that Dylan did.**

**You don't see him for **_**who**_** he is – a poor confused boy who has been brainwashed to believe he was supposed to be with Max. He is sweet, open and frustrated. And despite what he says, I don't think he loves Max romantically, but he isn't confident enough to let go of the things that the scientists told him. There is evidence to suggest this in **_**FANG: A Maximum Ride Novel**_**. I think that he loves Max like the rest of the flock loves her – as a sister/close friend and a leader.**

**Anyhow, I'm going to stop now. Please review! I accept flame, but prefer constructive criticism or a structured argument, i.e. **_**"I think you are wrong about Dylan **__**because**__**…"**_

**Au revior,**

**Axe.**


	2. When a Heart Breaks

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride.**

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><p><strong>Unseen<br>****A Maximum Ride Fanfiction  
><strong>**Chapter Two: When a Heart Breaks**

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><p>"You know, Erasers killed me."<p>

"Hmmm."

"Okay."

"Wait, what?"

"Well," Iggy expanded, inhaling deeply, "They must have. There's no other way I could have made it to heaven."

Gazzy gave him an 'are you serious' look before again staring at the oven. Even Nudge rolled her eyes but didn't say anything about the cliché. The flock – or whatever was left, since Fang was gone and Max was out somewhere – were sitting in front of the oven, heavy lidded and getting high off the smell of Dr. Martinez's cookies baking.

And, however badly Iggy put it, the scent did seem to transport you to a place higher than earth. Even Nudge was staying silent for once, too focused on using her nose to work her mouth. Dr. Martinez and Ella looked on at the four bird-kids from the kitchen table with amusement. It seemed ironic that the very youths who had fought ruthlessly in battles and were on a mission to save the world were captivated by the smallest things.

_Small things entertain small minds_, thought Dr. M, but even as she heard it in her mind she knew it wasn't true. They were much smarter and more capable than anybody ever gave them credit for.

When the cookies were finally golden brown and the choc-chips melted, Ella took them out of the oven. She was careful to keep the flock off them so that they wouldn't get burnt. She knew from previous experiences with her older sister that scalding heat would not keep them away from their sweet goodness.

Her efforts were in vain. As soon as the tray hit the cooling rack four pairs of hands stole the whole batch, leaving it empty. A few cries of pain followed but nobody dared give up their prizes.

"Save some for Max, will you!"

Abruptly the good mood dropped a few notches. The mention of the only person that might have been able to steal and consume all the cookies before anybody saw them, and her absence, dampened the mood.

After a brief awkward silence, each person put down one cookie and left to do their own activities.

**-:[o]:-**

Iggy wandered over to the couch to eat his cookies. Finding it wasn't hard for him anymore – after a week with Ella and Dr. M, roughly everything in the house was familiar to him. The television was on; he could hear it even though he couldn't see it. He wasn't listening, anyway. Merely noting that it was turned on.

Soft footsteps padded on the carpet over to him, before a warm being curled up into his side. Cautiously he put his arm around the person, knowing from her shape that it was Ella. The impression of light pink formed in his mind when his fingers touched the sleeve of her t-shirt.

Sighing lightly, Iggy pretended to focus on the area right about where he estimated the television screen to be. He really likes Ella, and he knew she liked him from the way that he could feel her cheeks heating up beside him. They were so different – he was a blind mutant bird-kid with an immature obsession with explosives, and she was just…normal. Beautiful. Perfect.

He wasn't sure that allowing himself to be in a relationship with her was the right course of action. Hurting her was something that he could do so easily – so smoothly it scared him. She was as precious and delicate as a flower, and he always felt that he had to be extremely careful or he would break her.

Sometimes he wished he could see just so that he could look at her. Angel had, once or twice, given him images of what she looked like. Among all of the things he cherished, those were one of the most important. But it wasn't because he cared what she looked like. In fact, he couldn't care less. It was the fact that he had the chance to have a little piece of her, one that he had lost with his eyesight.

Mostly he was scared of hurting himself, as selfish as it was. He hated that the thing he most feared was his own emotional health. Once upon a time, he had thought love was like fairy tales – all hearts and joy, glowing cheeks and happily ever afters. Now he knew that it wasn't at all like that. It was dangerous as playing with fire, juggling knives, flying with a storm out. Love could lift you up, but it could also destroy you. He didn't want to end up with a broken heart and broken soul and broken will and just…broken, in general.

He didn't want to end up like Max.

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><p><strong>*cries* This chapter was so bad…I didn't portray Iggy correctly…certainly not my best work. <strong>

**It was originally meant to have snippets of each member of the flock's reaction to Max's condition. But when I reached Iggy it just started to get too long and took a different direction.**

**What I'm trying to express here is how much Max's own relationships have impact on the flock. She's their role model – pretty much the only one that they would always look to. And how she and Fang turned out has to have its effect. **

**Review, please! You may not think it much, but reviews mean a LOT to me, as well as other authors on this site.**

**Oh! And somebody asked whether I would do all of the chapters in ANGEL. The answer is…NO. I'm not. Even though this is set around the exact same time as the last chapter. I'm only adding in the bits that I feel like.**

**A bient****ô****t,**

**Axe.**


	3. Nobody

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride**

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><p><strong>Unseen<br>****A Maximum Ride Fan Fiction  
><strong>**Chapter Three: Nobody**

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><p>"I don't think it's a good idea," Maya persisted, trying to convince Fang. "She's bad news. Anybody can see that."<p>

May and Fang sat to the side of the hotel room that the new flock was staying in, talking in normal voices yet trying not to attract the attention of the others, who were watching TV. He gave her a funny look, holding the phone open in his hand.

As his second in command, it was obvious that he told her first out of the whole group. It was obvious that he would inform her of his plan to call the old flock for help. But he wasn't asking whether he should do it or not, he was laying out his plan for critique. And what was most surprising was that she rejected it completely – not that he let that show.

"Maya, we can't do this on our own. You saw how big the situation was. Quite simply put, our flock can't handle it."

She chewed her lip discreetly. "I know that. There are other ways. This one won't work."

The real reason that Maya didn't want the two flocks to work together – well, it was a lot more complicated and deeper than simple refusal. But she would never, _ever_, let anybody find out.

Fang carefully unfolded a sheet of paper. It was creased deeply and crumpled, like he had performed the action many times. There was nothing but a single number on the paper. Why he even bothered to take it out, she had no clue. He probably knew the numbers off by heart ten times over by now.

Shuffling his wings into a more comfortable position, he looked at the phone while he spoke. "I've known Max for a very long time, Maya. She's a very good leader. Way better than me. Better than anyone I know. This is a big task, and I trust her. If there is one thing for certain, no matter what mission you give her, no matter how hard to handle she is or how messily it works out, it will get done."

_And don't you trust me?_ Maya wanted to scream at him, instead choosing to fume in silence as he punched in the numbers. She wouldn't tell him how much what he just said hurt. All her life, which was shorter than people usually acknowledged, she had to be somebody else. Somebody perfect, somebody strong, somebody ruthless. After so long, she guessed she was all of those things, to a certain extent. But there was one thing she had never achieved: she was not Maximum Ride. And that was what had mattered most.

She heard the engaged tone perfectly from her position a metre away. Fang brought the mobile to his ear. "Max? Don't hang up!" Despite his words, the couple of notes that marked an ended call came a second later. Maya gave him an 'I told you so' face, but he ignored her and called the number again.

Maya was created to be, to be better than, Maximum Ride. Herself – who she really was, or could have been – was lost under that pressure. That didn't matter as much anymore, though. What mattered was that when people looked at her, they expected a different person to look back. They looked for the world's saviour, not her. It stung deep in a place that she would never let anybody see.

"Max, I know you're mad. I know things are messed up between us. I know…"

She tuned into the conversation absently, all that time looking at Fang's face. For all the emotionless rock he was, he was a failure at hiding just how much he loved Max. In a way, that was part of the reason why Maya stayed with him. She knew, just from looking, that Fang saw a unique person, not a duplicate, when he saw her. The way he looked at Max was almost embarrassing – nothing on his face, but his eyes were a whole different story. He never looked at her like that. And that's how she knew that she wasn't playing somebody else for him. To be seen as an individual was one of the things she cherished most.

"Oh, yeah?" The small voice sounded in control and casual through the phone and Fang winced. Maya could only wonder what was going on through the phone. She and the leader of the flock were too alike, knew each other too well. She knew for a fact that her original was a very, very good actor.

"Yes. Will you come?"

She smiled secretly, sadly. It sounded as if Max wasn't going to come. That was when Fang said those fateful words:

"Max, the Doomsday Group has to be stopped!"

Max's violent reaction over the phone made Maya's heart drop. So she _would_ be coming.

To tell the truth, she didn't really hate her, though somewhere a little resentment held fast. Didn't hate that she was who she was, and she couldn't live up to that. But when Max came, everything that she cherished would leave. Who was she, next to the authentic? A pale echo of a replica. Nothing. Nobody. She would be cast in the shadow of the person who she could never be, and she would be cast aside. The new flock, hell, even Fang would forget about her. That was something she just couldn't bear.

She could almost hear their thoughts now: _Why isn't Maya like Max? She's not as good. A flawed copy._

So, while Fang closed the phone and gave a fleeting smirk of triumph, Maya fought down the tears she could never show.

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><p><strong>O hai thar! I updated. Don't hurt me! I have already proclaimed what a slack updater I am.<strong>

**This chapter shows a little of what I think about Maya's character. I haven't read very much fictions about her, but they're probably nasty. But seriously, think about this: You were created to be better than somebody else, experimented on, trained, brainwashed to be this person and more. And you believe it. You believe that you are more advanced than this person. Then, all of a sudden, that person defeats you and nobody wants or needs you anymore. People who supported and cheered you on before turn their backs and kick you out.**

**The people who you see expect you to be that person, but now you realise you aren't and they shun you for it. Then, more people come and they accept you, treat you as an individual and not somebody else. All of a sudden that particular person comes back. You're allowed to feel some resentment, aren't you?**

**Anyway, review review review! Please? **


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